India’s UPI (Unified Payments Interface) is now available internationally. India has partnered with as many as seven countries so far to accept payments online by scanning a QR code via BHIM and other third-party apps like GPay, PhonePe, and Paytm. This enables users to directly convert money to the local currency within the app, eliminating the need to carry dollars or cash while travelling internationally.
Check out the list of countries accepting UPI International along with the benefits it offers.
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Sri Lanka
When you visit Sri Lanka, you can pay with UPI via QR code at merchant locations in the country.
Mauritius
An Indian visitor to Mauritius can pay using UPI and a Mauritian citizen to our country can pay using the country’s Instant Payment System (IPS) application.
Sri Lanka and Mauritius are the latest adopters of UPI technology. The announcement was made on February 12, 2024.
Bhutan
Bhutan was the first to accept UPI payments through the BHIM app in partnership with the country’s Royal Monetary Authority. This came into force on July 13th, 2021.
France
France’s Lyra Network signed an MOU with NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India) on February 2nd, 2024 and started accepting UPI payments at the Eiffel Tower. It also released a white paper titled, “UPI: The Global Currency,” which highlights the potential of UPI for a global finance revolution.
UAE
UPI was incorporated in UAE on April 21, 2022, through Neopay terminals for P2M (payment to merchants). Neopay is a payment subsidiary of Mashreq Bank.
Singapore
India’s UPI and Singapore’s PayNow SG have collaborated for cross-border remittances. This means an Indian UPI user can send money through UPI to a Singaporean PayNow user. This will be done through the Singaporean user’s mobile number or VPA (Virtual Private Address). They both must be part of participating banks and non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs). You can check out more details here.
The following countries have announced their interest in UPI, but are yet to fully
Nepal
Nepal and India have signed an MoU to set up digital cross-border payments via UPI. It was expected to be done by February 2024 end. But from the UPI map shared by the Government of India, the process is complete, it seems.
Countries that could accept UPI
- NPCI managing director and chief executive Dilip Asbe said in June 2023 that discussions are taking place between India and a few Gulf nations like Bahrain and Saudia Arabia.
- Oman, Australia and Russia have also reportedly shown interest in UPI.
- In addition to these, NIPL (the international arm of NPCI) has shaken hands with Liquid Group to expand UPI in the following 10 markets: Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan.
UPI International benefits
- UPI International allows you to carry out transactions abroad without cash or cards easily.
- You will be able to make cross-border payments and money transfers.
- It could be low on remittance costs.
- It could strengthen India’s position in the global digital landscape.
List of apps supporting UPI International
- Google Pay: Singapore, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Oman, Qatar, USA, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and UK
- PhonePe: UAE, Singapore, Nepal and Bhutan
- Paytm supports UPI International payments but hasn’t revealed the supporting countries.
- BHIM: Singapore, UAE, Mauritius, Nepal and Bhutan
FAQ
Are there any charges for UPI International transactions?
There will be a foreign exchange fee for converting denominations between INR and foreign currency. There will be bank fees also for doing this conversion work.
